MINDFULNESS IN WILD PLACES PROJECT

So the picture in the gallery of the young guy with the rucksack is me, almost thirty five years ago.

I’m on the Pennine Way, Britain’s iconic long distance trail, which stretches from Edale in Derbyshire all the way to the Scottish Borders.

In January 2021 I am revisiting these 268 miles in the Montane Virtual Spine Race - challenging myself to once more go the distance by running these miles this time… on the Isle of Man. I’ll be running a mixture of trails, fells and roads all within the parameters of Lockdown 2.0

My original expedition to the Pennines as a teenager was something of an epiphany. Being my first experience of solo backpacking, the remoteness and isolation were initially daunting. But quickly I realised that I was absolutely fine… then the realisation dawned … I was truly thriving! The pure joy of mountain solitude was a secret gift to me that I’ve dipped into regularly ever since.

Currently here on the Isle of Man, as elsewhere, many are finding times tough. Our minds full of worry and concern. Some are lucky to be in good health and have access to the natural world. Others less so. All of us can benefit greatly from spending time out in nature. And just for a short time, stop.

In the last year I have been involved with a project called Mindfulness in Wild Places. Set up as a joint venture by Adam Denard of the Manx Wildlife Trust and Mike Kewley, a mindfulness practitioner, it is a monthly opportunity for people to meet in one of the island’s beautiful places, go for a short walk and practise some mindfulness exercises amidst the Island’s trees, beaches and glens. Initial funding soon runs out and I’d like to use my 268 mile challenge to highlight the benefit of Mindfulness in Wild Places and hopefully raise some money to keep the project going into the future. The target I’ve set is £2000 which should be enough to keep the project going for another year - allowing each month 25 people to have this experience. That’s up to 300 individuals who can directly benefit from this experience! 

For many, money is tight at the moment - to these I say do not contribute financially to this project… give me a bit of encouragement if you see me out on the hills putting in another back-to-back 20 miler! However, if you can contribute something, however small, you may do so here on the JustGiving webpage.

Thank you.

Jim

Here's a link to a podcast of Mike Kewley and Adam Denard speaking on Manx Radio's Late Lunch program on 25th January about the project:

https://www.manxradio.com/podcasts/late-lunch/episode/its-only-natural/